Sat. Jan. 23, 2010- The Main Gate
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I Love my job!
Over the years, the one thing which has always had the most profound effect on me have been those serendipitous moments when one simply stumbles into an unexpected moment of musical harmony and talent which just seems to come "out of the blue", and was not exactly what you expected when you set out for the evening.
One such recent moment came on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010.
My assignment for the evening was to make some photographs of the Family Reunion concert by the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra at The Victory Theatre in Evansville.
After finishing my work, I decided to top off my day by making the half block stroll to the new establishment, The Main Gate, on the Walkway, to have a drink and listen to my friend, and a guy I consider to be THE nicest guy in the local music scene, and for that matter, probably the nicest guy I know, Carl Rodenberg tickle the ivories for a while.
Just to hear Carl play anytime, anywhere, alone, is always a treat for me. No matter what the day has been like, I can sit back, savor a drink, and get lost in the beautiful melodies and Carl's soulful voice and leave the day's troubles by the wayside.
This much I knew going in. What I hadn't expected came next.
Two of Carl's friends showed up to join him. First, Sax man extraordinaire, Roy Carter strolled in to add his amazing Sax chops to the mix. Then, after just finishing her performance with the Philharmonic Orchestra, and I know the following words are often uttered just to be "nice", but in her case, it's simply true; the lovely and talented Diane Fowler dropped in with her Cello and joined Carl and Roy in a couple of tunes to end the evening.
It was an honor and a privilege to have been one of those present and to have been treated to such an awesome display of musical talent!
Those who know me are aware that there are things much more important to me than money or the typical things that tend to drive people. The chance to listen to good music and do what I can through my writing and photography to help promote them is one of those things. The opportunity to make a new friend in the course of doing my job, and/or checking out and photographing local musicians is another.
I made a couple of new friends Saturday night in Roy and Diane. It was to be sure, a night of serendipity, an evening to be remembered, and new bonds of friendship formed. Does it get any better than that?
On a side note, Carl, Diane and myself topped off an awesome night with a late night hunt, through the streets and alleys of downtown, in a sudden mini hurricane-like gust of wind and some torrential rain, looking for a lost cell phone by repeatedly calling it with my phone. I guess it was one of those "You had to be there" things, but in some strange way it made a perfect end to one amazine night!
I hope these three people will play together more often, and if you ever have a chance to check them out anywhere, please do so. You'll be glad you did!
Check out the video below. I was shooting still photos during their performance of "Desperado", but managed to capture one tune on video.
Thanks guys!
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